Rob collaborates with clients to manage their workplace compliance, legal and reputational risks throughout the employment lifecycle.
Rob is a leading work health and safety lawyer in the Perth market. He specialises in advising employers responding to critical safety incidents, including managing workforce wellbeing, regulatory and internal investigations, and regulator prosecutions. He also assists employers with front-end safety issues including developing systems to manage physical and psychosocial workplace risks and assisting boards and executive teams to meet their due diligence obligations.
Rob advises employers on a variety of employment and industrial matters, including identifying and responding to potential compliance issues, managing complex misconduct investigations and sensitive employee exits. He regularly represents employers in Federal and State jurisdictions and assists them to achieve pragmatic outcomes that balance the various issues that arise in litigation.
Rob primarily advises employers in the resources and construction sectors, universities and government-owned corporations. He is known for his diligence, responsiveness and commerciality in assisting clients navigate difficult and sensitive issues.
Expertise
Rob’s expertise includes:
- Advising on the recently introduced harmonised work health and safety legislation in Western Australia.
- Responding to serious workplace incidents, regulator investigations and prosecutions, including fostering constructive relationships with regulators.
- Advising on sensitive employee exits and complex workplace investigations.
- Acting on complex employment and industrial litigation, including Federal Court disputes and post-employment restraint injunctions.
- Appearing at mediations and negotiating practical resolutions of complex disputes.
Recent Projects
- Represented an international mining company, national construction company and a WA refinery in relation to 3 separate workplace fatalities since the commencement of the new WA safety legislation in March 2022.
- Represented various employers in the mining, construction and university sectors to develop their due diligence framework to assist officers to meet their WHS due diligence obligations.
- Advised several international mining companies on their procedures for managing workplace psychosocial hazards.
- Successfully represented a national supermarket chain in numerous complex industrial disputes in the Fair Work Commission.
- Represented various universities and Commonwealth government entities in complex Federal Court general protections litigation.
- Advised various WA and Commonwealth government corporations on internal investigations in relation to suspected conflicts of interest and misuse of confidential information, including managing significant media coverage and reputational risk.
Professional Memberships / Accreditation & Activities
- Leading WHS lawyer (WA), 2023, Doyle’s Guide
- Recommended Employment lawyer (WA), 2020 – 2023, Doyle’s Guide
- WA Chamber of Minerals & Energy WHS Committee Member
- Law Society of WA Member
- RugbyWA Judicial Committee Member (volunteer)
Sector
- Workplace Relations, Employment & Safety ,
Services
location
Perth
